SHE STARTED WITH A TINY SHOP. TODAY, SHE’S NIGERIA’S LEATHER QUEEN.

It all began with a tiny shop in Apapa. Its name was Glamour—a small gift shop and salon that many might have walked past without noticing. But inside, every item was carefully chosen, every corner quietly radiant. Behind the counter was a young woman, Bimbo Alashe, her smile warm, her eyes alive with possibility. She was not simply selling; she was planting seeds of beauty in a city that often felt too hurried to pause.

Lagos in those days was a city of contradictions—where the rhythm of danfos and street hawkers filled the air, yet behind tall gates, families yearned for refinement and comfort. It was a city of noise and dreams, of salt in the air from the port, of marketplaces bursting with color. And in the middle of it all, Bimbo’s imagination was awake. She had seen more: years in London had opened her to the world of design, to rooms that whispered calm, to furniture that was more than wood and fabric, but a language of elegance.

When she returned home, she brought that vision with her. In 1994, she opened a new chapter: Leatherworld. The first showroom stood on Ribadu Road in Ikoyi. To step inside was to step into another world. The Lagos heat faded, the city’s chaos fell away, and what greeted you was soft light falling on polished leather, the rich scent of wood and upholstery, the gleam of furniture that looked as though it belonged in timeless homes. Each chair felt like a throne, each table seemed built for stories yet to be told. Customers lingered, not only to buy but to feel the calm and refinement she had curated.

Her showrooms became sanctuaries. On Raymond Njoku Street, the space opened wider, and in Abuja, her vision reached the nation’s capital. Soon, through Concourse Industries in the Calabar Free Trade Zone, she was not just importing but creating—training hands to craft with pride, assembling pieces that were proudly Nigerian yet globally admired.

But Bimbo’s story is not only about business. At its center is love. She married Kunle Arawole, a man whose support and companionship brought joy into her life. Together, they built a home full of laughter, a space as warm as the showrooms she created. Their daughter, Tobiloba, was the jewel of their story, the one who made love and purpose intertwine. When Kunle passed away, grief cast its long shadow. Many would have faltered, but Bimbo did not stop. She carried the memory of her husband in her heart, drew strength from her daughter, and pressed on with her work.

Her journey has the texture of leather itself—tough, resilient, yet soft enough to carry stories. Through hardship and success, she has remained constant: a woman with vision, determination, and a deep belief that Nigerians deserve nothing less than excellence crafted at home.

Today, when people walk into a Leatherworld showroom, they see more than furniture. They see a dream that began in a modest shop called Glamour. They see the persistence of a woman who built beauty out of courage, love, and imagination.

And that is the story of Bimbo Alashe—the girl from Lagos who grew into Nigeria’s Leather Queen.

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